vans headquarters tour

• SURF HARDWARE
• BUYERS GUIDES
• FANTASY SURFER
• SOCIAL STATS
• ONLINE SALES
• Your cart is currently empty.

© 2024 Empire Ave. All rights reserved

Vans Global Headquarters

Brand:  Vans Location:  Costa Mesa, CA Architecture Firm:   Rapt Studio  Completion:  2017 Size: 16,900 m² Key Features:  The whole set up of Vans Global Headquarters is astounding, you’de be excused for thinking it’s a tech company set up… Photographer:   Rapt Stuido Can you visit:  Sort of yeah, you can’t just roll up tho. 

As Vans’ longstanding design partner, Rapt Studio created the office to celebrate the four pillars of the Vans brand—Art, Music, Action Sports, and Street Culture and Fashion. Designed with workspaces for creative self-expression and ‘Off the Wall’ culture, the headquarters was made to embody the company’s evolution. There’s more to it all, but I suggest you read up on it over on the Rapt site , they go into a lot more detail about it.

Related Posts

May 27, 2021

Surfboard Empire Coolangatta

March 22, 2021

Onboard Store – Mona Vale

March 15, 2021

JS Garage Oceanside

Privacy preference center, privacy preferences.

Office Size

Completion date.

• Architecture & Design Firms
• Financial & Investments
• Food & Beverage
• Consulting & Business Svcs
• Law & Legal Services
• Advertising & Marketing
• Film, Media & Publishing
• Non-Profit & Government
• Coworking Offices
• United States
• Netherlands
• San Francisco
• New York City

Offices Featuring

• Davis Furniture
• Herman Miller

Work Spaces

• Open Offices
• Private Offices
• Work Lounges

Support Spaces

• Receptions Areas
• Elevator Lobbies
• Phone Booths
• Bike Storage
• Locker Area
• Acoustic Ceiling Baffle
• Acoustic Ceiling Panel
• Acoustic Wall Panel

Meeting Spaces

• Breakout Spaces
• Large Meeting Rooms
• Small Meeting Rooms
• Brainstorm Rooms
• Standing Meeting Points
• Small Open Spaces
• Large Open Spaces
• Assembly Rooms
• Green Walls
• Glass Walls
• Exposed Duct
• Chalkboards
• Whiteboards

Displays & Technology

• Wall-Mounted Displays
• Ceiling-Mounted Displays
• Video Walls
• Video Conferencing
• Projection Screens
• Cement Floors
• Wood Floors
• Parquet Floors

Environmental

• Glass Graphics
• Wall Graphics
• Signs / Wayfinding

Miscellaneous

• Photos with People
• Plans & Drawings
• Outdoor Terraces
• Office Exteriors
• Tiered/Stadium Seating
• Coffee Tables
• Occasional Tables
• Personal/Laptop Tables
• Picnic Tables
• Bench Seating
• Executive & Task Seating
• Guest & Side Seating
• Lounge Chairs
• Modular Lounge Seating
• Stackable Seating
• Outdoor Seating
• Outdoor Tables
• General Storage
• Desk Organizers
• Desks & Workstations
• Desk Systems
• Furniture Systems
• Cafe Tables
• Conference Tables
• Height-Adjustable Tables
• Training / Multi-purpose Tables
• Reception Desks

Acoustics & Environment

• Accessories
• Acoustic Lighting
• Acoustic Ceiling Baffles
• Acoustic Ceiling Panels
• Hanging Acoustic Panels / Screens
• Acoustic Wall Panels
• Signs & Wayfindings
• Planters & Planter Boxes

Phone Booths & Meetings Pods

• Meeting Pods
• Task & Table
• Floor Lamps
• Backlight / Panel
• Lay-in / Troffer
• Suspended Circular / Round
• Mounted Circular / Round
• Track / Directional
• Wall / Sconce
• Stair and Handrail
• Biophilic Lighting

Walls, Doors, Ceilings, Tech

• Wall Systems
• Door Systems
• Ceiling Elements
• Collaboration
• Digital Displays
• Smart Window Film / Privacy Glass

Railing Systems

• Rails / Rail Systems

Beverage Systems

• Hydration and Tea Points

Fabric & Textiles

• Wall Finishes
• Andreu World
• Anthom Design House
• Bernhardt Design
• Boss Design
• Carl Hansen & Søn
• Clear Design
• ERG International
• Global Furniture Group
• Grand Rapids Chair
• Haworth Ancillary
• Icon Modern
• KFI Studios
• Leland Furniture
• Martin Brattrud
• Mikomax Smart Office
• Phase Design
• SitOnIt Seating
• Source International
• Venue Industries
• Willow Park
• Focal Point
• Pablo Designs
• Pinnacle Architectural Lighting
• Prudential Lighting
• Visual Comfort

Acoustics & Materials

• 3form Elements
• Corona Group
• Friends of Wilson
• Impact Acoustic
• Senses Akustik
• Spinneybeck

Walls & Doors

• Skyfold Inc.
• Tour Offices
• Browse Photos
• Explore Products
• Explore Brands
• Read Articles
• Material Bank Collections

VANS Headquarters – Costa Mesa

• Rapt Studio
• Client Vans ,
• size 182,000 sqft
• Location Costa Mesa , California , United States ,
• Industry Fashion / Beauty ,

Rapt Studio designed the new headquarters for skateboarding brand and shoe manufacturer Vans , located in Costa Mesa, California.

Vans is a state of mind. Designed with workspaces for creative self-expression and ‘Off the Wall’ culture, the headquarters was made to embody the company’s evolution. As Vans’ longstanding design partner, Rapt Studio created the office to celebrate the four pillars of the Vans brand—Art, Music, Action Sports, and Street Culture and Fashion. Drawing upon 50 years of youth culture connectivity, the design rethinks how the Vans family comes together around work and play. After 51 years of moving across the heart of Southern California, Vans has settled into a new global headquarters in Costa Mesa. The new headquarters designed by Rapt Studio is LEED Platinum, the highest standard for sustainability, making it the most sustainable in all of Orange County. The 182,000 sq ft center houses 5 fully merchandised showrooms with upcoming collections, a retail mock store, and a working library. Located on a 14-acre site, the headquarters includes ample room for the Vans brand to grow and evolve. Bringing the underground to the mainstage, the office was organized around a central courtyard that connects interior offices to outdoor spaces, while an iconic Vans red staircase becomes the literal and figurative symbol of connection between the varied groups housed within. As such, it connects the first-floor café, with the second-floor coffee area and the third-floor outdoor terrace BBQ. The design of the workplace supports a range of active work styles, fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation. Concrete floors allow employees to skate from desks to meeting rooms. To ensure the new Vans HQ felt like home, Rapt’s designers surveyed Vans employees on the must haves for their new building. Gym, coffee and wifi came up as the three most important things to have in the new HQ, so Rapt Studio designed an on-site fitness facility, jam rooms for employees and guests, and a fully equipped BBQ area along with grab&go stations and coffee lounge with an on-site barista. Rapt Studio also designed the headquarters for flexibility and dynamic work environments with large collaboration spaces and different meeting rooms named after Vans athletes, founding family and locations from their brand’s history. Further fueling the sense of community, the more public circulation that rings the courtyard on all floors is outfitted with meeting spaces, booth seating (a favorite from the beginning) and places for staff to just get a different perspective. This configuration allows for an employee or visitor to move throughout the building without traipsing through someone’s work environment bringing distraction and noise. Once within the team work environments, employees are afforded plenty of individual space to layout new products, fabric samples or prototypes. These individual working neighborhoods, also give way to more shared spaces—dedicated work rooms that can retain a project teams’ memory on its walls, various spaces for groups to meet, as well as rooms where one-on-one conversations can happen freely and within the work environment. In homage to the brand’s deep roots in music, there is a jam room available to staff to break out into song at any time, and each of the conference rooms is “wired for sound” with Bluetooth sound. The shared celebration of Art is apparent throughout with the incredible commitment to Artistic expression—murals, classic skateboard art, and all sorts of street art decorate the walls and elevate the experience. From the original Van Doren tread to the iconic racing stripe, the Vans brand has become synonymous with individual expression. Designed to hold its own and make a mark, the Costa Mesa HQ represents Vans’ evolution from a West Coast skateboarding company to a global youth culture brand. Designed for expressive creators, the Costa Mesa HQ brings innovators and new perspectives together to shape the future of Vans.

Designer :  Rapt Studio Design Team : David Galullo, Derrick Prodigalidad, Rosela Barraza, Keith Muller, and Scott Johnson Contractor : Howard Building Corporation Photographer : Eric Laignel

Join Office Snapshots!

Create inspiration boards

Organize your favorite content for future reference.

Bookmark photos, projects, and products

Save from all sites: Office, Hospitality, Education, Healthcare, and Home.

Automatic Product Lists

Your boards automatically list products that have been identified in each photo.

Already have an account? Log in

The Office Snapshots Weekly Newsletter

A weekly digest of the latest office designs delivered every Monday ( view sample )

• Email Address *
• Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Inside Otterbein University'sThe Point at Otterbein by WSA

Join office snapshots.

- Create inspiration boards

- Organize your favorite projects, photos, and projects

- Share with colleagues

Part magazine, part platform, part database. Office Snapshots is the world's largest and most popular office design destination.

• Media/Press
• Hospitality Snapshots
• Home Snapshots
• Education Snapshots
• Healthcare Snapshots

A Tour of Vans’ Super Cool Costa Mesa Headquarters

7 years ago

Vans , a legendary fashion brand that manufactures skateboarding shoes and streetwear, recently hired architecture & interior design firm Rapt Studio to design their new headquarters located in Costa Mesa, California.

“Vans is a state of mind. Designed with workspaces for creative self-expression and ‘Off the Wall’ culture, the headquarters was made to embody the company’s evolution. As Vans’ longstanding design partner, Rapt Studio created the office to celebrate the four pillars of the Vans brand—Art, Music, Action Sports, and Street Culture and Fashion. Drawing upon 50 years of youth culture connectivity, the design rethinks how the Vans family comes together around work and play. Located on a 14-acre site, the headquarters includes ample room for the Vans brand to grow and evolve. Bringing the underground to the mainstage, the office was organized around a central courtyard that connects interior offices to outdoor spaces, while an iconic Vans red staircase becomes the literal and figurative symbol of connection between the varied groups housed within. As such, it connects the first-floor café, with the second-floor coffee area and the third-floor outdoor terrace BBQ. The design of the workplace supports a range of active work styles, fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation. Concrete floors allow employees to skate from desks to meeting rooms. Further fueling the sense of community, the more public circulation that rings the courtyard on all floors is outfitted with meeting spaces, booth seating (a favorite from the beginning) and places for staff to just get a different perspective. This configuration allows for an employee or visitor to move throughout the building without traipsing through someone’s work environment bringing distraction and noise. Once within the team work environments, employees are afforded plenty of individual space to layout new products, fabric samples or prototypes. These individual working neighborhoods, also give way to more shared spaces— dedicated work rooms that can retain a project teams’ memory on its walls, various spaces for groups to meet, as well as rooms where one-on-one conversations can happen freely and within the work environment. In homage to the brand’s deep roots in music, there is a jam room available to staff to break out into song at any time, and each of the conference rooms is “wired for sound” with Bluetooth sound. The shared celebration of Art is apparent throughout with the incredible commitment to Artistic expression— murals, classic skateboard art, and all sorts of street art decorate the walls and elevate the experience.From the original Van Doren tread to the iconic racing stripe, the Vans brand has become synonymous with individual expression. Designed to hold its own and make a mark, the Costa Mesa HQ represents Vans’ evolution from a West Coast skateboarding company to a global youth culture brand. Designed for expressive creators, the Costa Mesa HQ brings innovators and new perspectives together to shape the future of Vans,” says Rapt Studio

• Location: Costa Mesa, California
• Date completed: July 2017
• Size: 182,000 square feet
• Design: Rapt Studio
• Photos: Eric Laignel

You might also like

A Peek Inside Snow Software’s Office in Bracknell

Inside EuroArt93’s Cool New Office in Croatia

Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

Where Creativity and Sustainability Meet: A Look Inside Vans’ Headquarters

This June marked the one-year anniversary of the   Vans ®   headquarters in Costa Mesa, California. While the 182,000-square-foot building itself is something to behold, the most impressive feature is the brand’s commitment to creativity and sustainability.

Vans   moved out of its Cypress, California, office, its home for nearly a decade, into a larger space that could support its rapid growth and foster team creativity and collaboration. The brand has sustained success by streamlining the product cycle time and attracting consumers of all ages, which allows them to continue investing in the business and their associates.  

“We wanted to create a space that supports creative expression, collaboration and future growth,” said Cheryl Van Doren, Vice President of Human Resources,   Vans . “This building does all that while staying true to our ‘Off The Wall’ motto. This is truly the first time we’ve had a space worthy of being classified as a corporate headquarters, but it doesn’t feel uptight and stuffy like some offices. It’s a true representation of who we are as a company.”  

Vans’   deep roots in action sports, art and music are woven throughout the building – from a skatepark onsite, to a music room where associates can jam, to photos of   Vans’   associates showcasing the brand’s people first mentality, to artwork etched and painted by artists and athletes all over the walls, the global headquarters celebrates the brand’s 50-year heritage of enabling creative expression.  

What’s also on display is the brand’s commitment to sustainability, which earned the building LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum Certification. Sustainability features include state-of-the-art, energy-efficient equipment, 38 electric vehicle charging stations, composting stations, water-filling stations, energy-efficient lighting and large windows that provide natural light throughout the building. Sixty percent of the building’s power is produced with solar energy.

“Not only are people comfortable in the space, they’re proud to work here,” said Van Doren. “After a year, I still walk in every day feeling an overwhelming amount of appreciation and pride.”   

View images of Vans' new global headquarters below.

Read More Featured Stories

Cultivating Green Jobs and Local Wealth Rooted in Circular Fashion: The Industrial Commons

VF Corporation Allocates Second Green Bond Net Proceeds to Support Progress Toward Science Based Targets

The VF Foundation Issues Its Fourth Impact Report Announcing Nearly $8M in Funding to 62 Grant Partners to Power a Better World

IOM and VF Corporation Expand Partnership to Promote the Inclusion of Migrants

Clothes to Up-Level Your Closet While Watching Your Footprint

Empowering Women Through Equitable Access to Water

Upskilling for the Future of Work: Bridging the Gender Gap in Garment Sector Automation

Elevating Parks and Climate Equity: A Catalyst for Community Transformation

VF LIVES ITS PURPOSE: NEW ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT

Email Alerts

Stay informed and receive company updates straight to your inbox.

Vans Headquarters in Costa Mesa, California / RAPT Studio

Architects: RAPT Studio Project: Vans Headquarters Design Team: David Galullo, Derrick Prodigalidad, Rosela Barraza, Keith Muller, Scott Johnson Location: Costa Mesa, California, United States Area: 182,000 sqft Year 2017 Photography: Eric Laignel

Vans is a state of mind. Designed with workspaces for creative self-expression and ‘Off the Wall’ culture, the headquarters was made to embody the company’s evolution. As Vans’ longstanding design partner, Rapt Studio created the office to celebrate the four pillars of the Vans brand—Art, Music, Action Sports, and Street Culture and Fashion. Drawing upon 50 years of youth culture connectivity, the design rethinks how the Vans family comes together around work and play.

After 51 years of moving across the heart of Southern California, Vans has settled into a new global headquarters in Costa Mesa. The new Vans headquarters designed by Rapt Studio is LEED Platinum, the highest standard for sustainability, making it the most sustainable in all of Orange County. The 182,000 sq ft center houses 5 fully merchandised showrooms with upcoming collections, a retail mock store, and a working library.

Located on a 14-acre site, the headquarters includes ample room for the Vans brand to grow and evolve. Bringing the underground to the mainstage, the office was organized around a central courtyard that connects interior offices to outdoor spaces, while an iconic Vans red staircase becomes the literal and figurative symbol of connection between the varied groups housed within. As such, it connects the first-floor café, with the second-floor coffee area and the third-floor outdoor terrace BBQ. The design of the workplace supports a range of active work styles, fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation. Concrete floors allow employees to skate from desks to meeting rooms.

To ensure the new Vans HQ felt like home, Rapt’s designers surveyed Vans employees on the must haves for their new building. Gym, coffee and wifi came up as the three most important things to have in the new HQ, so Rapt Studio designed an on-site fitness facility, jam rooms for employees and guests, and a fully equipped BBQ area along with grab&go stations and coffee lounge with an on-site barista. Rapt Studio also designed the headquarters for flexibility and dynamic work environments with large collaboration spaces and different meeting rooms named after Vans athletes, founding family and locations from their brand’s history.

Further fueling the sense of community, the more public circulation that rings the courtyard on all floors is outfitted with meeting spaces, booth seating (a favorite from the beginning) and places for staff to just get a different perspective. This configuration allows for an employee or visitor to move throughout the building without traipsing through someone’s work environment bringing distraction and noise. Once within the team work environments, employees are afforded plenty of individual space to layout new products, fabric samples or prototypes. These individual working neighborhoods, also give way to more shared spaces—dedicated work rooms that can retain a project teams’ memory on its walls, various spaces for groups to meet, as well as rooms where one-on-one conversations can happen freely and within the work environment.

In homage to the brand’s deep roots in music, there is a jam room available to staff to break out into song at any time, and each of the conference rooms is “wired for sound” with Bluetooth sound. The shared celebration of Art is apparent throughout with the incredible commitment to Artistic expression—murals, classic skateboard art, and all sorts of street art decorate the walls and elevate the experience.

From the original Van Doren tread to the iconic racing stripe, the Vans brand has become synonymous with individual expression. Designed to hold its own and make a mark, the Costa Mesa HQ represents Vans’ evolution from a West Coast skateboarding company to a global youth culture brand. Designed for expressive creators, the Costa Mesa HQ brings innovators and new perspectives together to shape the future of Vans.

Related Posts

Booking.com Headquarters, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Creditel Office Uruguay / Contract Workplaces

OLX Office in Kiev / Design Hub International

Jaguar Building Services Workspace

Cushing Terrell Designs Great Oaks Workplace in Charleston, South Carolina

Visa Office Development – A Creative Approach to Attracting Top Talent

Xapo Bank Headquarters – A Physical Space for a Digital Bank

Additional Office Space for Brosh Architects Studio

Vans Headquarters

Vans is a state of mind. designed with workspaces for creative self-expression and ‘off the wall’ culture, the headquarters was made to embody the company’s evolution..

Environment · Strategy

As Vans’ longstanding design partner, Rapt Studio created the office to celebrate the four pillars of the Vans brand—Art, Music, Action Sports, and Street Culture and Fashion. Drawing upon 50 years of youth culture connectivity, the design rethinks how the Vans family comes together around work and play. 

Located on a 15-acre site, the headquarters includes ample room for the Vans brand to grow and evolve.

Bringing the underground to the main stage, the office was organized around a central courtyard that connects interior offices to outdoor spaces, while an iconic Vans red staircase becomes the literal and figurative symbol of connection between the varied groups housed within. As such, it connects the first-floor café, with the second-floor coffee area and the third-floor outdoor terrace BBQ. The design of the workplace supports a range of active work styles, fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation. Concrete floors allow employees to skate from desks to meeting rooms.

Further fueling the sense of community, the more public circulation that rings the courtyard on all floors is outfitted with meeting spaces, booth seating (a favorite from the beginning) and places for staff to just get a different perspective. This configuration allows for an employee or visitor to move throughout the building without traipsing through someone’s work environment bringing distraction and noise. Once within the team work environments, employees are afforded plenty of individual space to layout new products, fabric samples or prototypes. These individual working neighborhoods, also give way to more shared spaces—dedicated workrooms that can retain a project teams’ memory on its walls, various spaces for groups to meet, as well as rooms where one-on-one conversations can happen freely and within the work environment.

In homage to the brand’s deep roots in music, there is a jam room available to staff to break out into song at any time, and each of the conference rooms is “wired for sound” with Bluetooth sound. The shared celebration of Art is apparent throughout with the incredible commitment to Artistic expression— murals, classic skateboard art, and all sorts of street art decorate the walls and elevate the experience.

From the original Van Doren tread to the iconic racing stripe, the Vans brand has become synonymous with individual expression. Designed to hold its own and make a mark, the Costa Mesa HQ represents Vans’ evolution from a West Coast skateboarding company to a global youth culture brand.

Designed for expressive creators, the Costa Mesa HQ brings innovators and new perspectives together to shape the future of Vans.  

Interior Design Rapt Studio’s Young Talents Design Skate-Centric SoCal HQ for Vans

Dezeen vans headquarters by rapt studio nods to california street culture, design milk vans’ new digs is a 182,000 sq ft transformation by rapt studio, office lovin a tour of vans’ super cool costa mesa headquarters, office inspiration vans, costa mesa: a design that combines work and play, deco journal international - vans global headquarters, darc magazine vans headquarters, usa, win awards 2018 workspace interiors winner, more to see.

VF Outdoor Campus If the outdoors has to be indoors, it’s in here.

Fender A return to Southern California roots.

Make A workspace for the neighborhood.

The North Face Showroom A showroom for explorers.

• Itineraries
• Getting Here
• Plan Your Visit
• Action Sports
• Upcoming Events
• Meeting & Events

Travel Costa Mesa Blog

Vans Returns to Costa Mesa and Home of Action Sports Brands

Posted on October 18, 2017 | 11:05am | Travel Costa Mesa

Do you have a special connection to the Vans brand? Costa Mesa does, and we were excited to reconnect with Vans last week at their new global headquarters as they return to their roots in Costa Mesa as one of the leaders in action sports. It was a homecoming for many in the action sports industry , but also for fans of the Vans brand. After more than 50 years, Vans has returned to Costa Mesa – home to its first retail store – settling into its new world headquarters located on South Coast Drive adjacent to the 405 freeway. During an exclusive event on October 12 for 500 employees and their friends and family, more than 2,000 guests showed up for the celebration.

Throughout the event, guests were treated to local food hot spots including tacos from Wahoo’s and burgers from TK Burger, as well as sushi and various beverage selections to enjoy. Attendees took turns screen-printing customized Vans totes and other apparel. Two ramp areas were set up where professional BMX riders (Kris Fox, pictured below) and skater boarders performed. All the while, a rotation of local bands performed on two different stages creating a laid-back vibe you’d expect at a skate, surf or snowboarding event.

We spoke with Cheryl Van Doren, daughter of Vans’ founder and youngest of five Van Doren siblings. While she grew up in Costa Mesa and spent her school years here, she has since moved away, remaining in Southern California while working at the most recent and former HQ location in Cypress.

After a decade at that location and need for more space for the thriving global brand, the Van Dorens set out to find a new home. When this Costa Mesa location came up, “it felt cool to me and cool to our industry.” She went on to say that it also felt like coming home because of Costa Mesa’s adoption and embracing of action sports.

The new 182,000 square-foot headquarters is located on 14 acres of land with plenty of room to expand. For employees, the culture is fun and hip and there are a variety of spaces to rev up creative juices, including both a music room and game room. In the near future, employees and professional athletes will have a new skate park on site – all to themselves!

For those looking to experience the thrill of skating, Costa Mesa has its own Volcom Skatepark  at 900 Arlington Drive, where 15,000 square feet of space is dedicated to skateboarders or inline skaters seven days per week.

Vans also has two of its own skateparks in Orange County, not far from Costa Mesa. At an outdoor park in Huntington Beach and an indoor park in Orange , enthusiasts can test their skills by the hour or with an all-day pass on the street course, ramps and Combi pool.

Some might say that Costa Mesa is to the action sports industry as Silicon Valley is to the tech industry. With the creation of top brands like Hurley, Volcom, RVCA, Rip Curl in Costa Mesa, along with Vans returning to Costa Mesa, the city is truly home to inspiring new ideas, events and clothing in the action sports realm.

Vans targets its products toward ages 14-24, but men and women of all ages continue to gravitate toward the shoes. When asked why, Van Doren says that everyone has a story to tell about his or her first pair of Vans; there’s an emotional connection. Do you have a story? Tell us about it!

• Music & Art

stay up to date

Recent posts.

October 18, 2017

Travel Costa Mesa • 151 Kalmus Drive, Suite C110 • Costa Mesa, CA 92626 • Tel. 888.588.9417 Copyright © 2024 Travel Costa Mesa www.travelcostamesa.com

Cool Hunting®

Discovering the Future of Customization at Vans’ Global Headquarters

Surprises reveal themselves as we explore design and production at the new California hub

In 1964, Paul Van Doren moved from Boston to Costa Mesa and brought his family along. In ’66, Van Doren would co-found Vans in the area. From Anaheim factories to the brand new 182K-square-foot global headquarters, the brand’s history is embedded in the very soil. But the new space is something more. It’s the product of a half-century’s worth of collaboration. Employees had a say in its look and feel, artists (including Todd Francis, Jay Howell and Zio Ziegler) contributed work on walls. And when staffers want to step away from their Herman Miller furniture, the entire compound has been designed so that if everybody stepped away from their desk at the same time, they’d have alternative space to work. We recently toured the space—in the midst of two large announcements, a Karl Largerfeld collaboration and Paul’s son Steve Van Doren’s forthcoming drive to Houston to donate thousands of shoes, clothing and socks—but on site, however, we learned that the future of Vans banks on customization.

In a Wonka-esque facility that’s more open concept than not, one room immediately struck our fancy: a merchandising practice space. Here, hundreds of products are set up in arrangements that may filter out to stores around the globe. The preview was informative, but so was a tutorial from Sylvia Niles, Senior Director of eCommerce at Vans. “We were doing customs before customs were a thing,” she begins—referencing a period when consumers would go into the factory. “The best thing we can do is create a platform that enables unlimited creativity on our iconic products,” she continues.

In a beta build-out, a large touchscreen fits into a tactile wall display composed of shelves of sneakers. The screen employs the Vans’ web platform, featuring a first-of-its-kind 3D technology. It’s what’s running online now, and goes so far as to allow customers to upload user generated content for conversion into patterns. “The intent behind here is not just about having the consumer go right into the digital but also for the consumer to see what can be customized,” Niles explains, while tossing around a shoe. Vans plans on putting these customization modules in elevated retail locations, surrounded by everything from slip-ons to all-weather sk8-his.

Even more impressive is the WaffleWorks Innovation Center, otherwise known as the place where the innovation team executes. Whereas the third floor of the main building houses the thinking process for designers, this external garage functions as a ground for experimentation, where various creatives in the company can toy with materials within concepts and ultimately produce something. “Our innovation promise is to enable creative self expression,” Safir Bellal, Vans Director of Design Innovation, explains. “As shepherds of this culture of creative experimentation, we want to give people their platform to experiment, tinker and make.” Here, people play with technical initiatives and various areas of focus.

The most groundbreaking process, however, is known as Project Anaheim. This directive will hopefully one day enable consumers to take any pattern they want, or any picture whatsoever (so long as neither are the property of another) and apply it to an entire shoe—in 15 minutes or less. Right now, we witnessed it in action. A snapshot was taken of Van Doren’s shirt, uploaded, laid out on top of Vans, and then printed on film.

The film is heated over the shoes, and vacuumed down. It transforms to gas that’s pulled into the very pores of the fabric—inseparable. The print won’t fell unless the shoe fails. Two years were spent developing the perfect film and vacuum technology, as well as working with partners around the world on this. Such a process, which has a way to go, allows consumers to select any piece of inspiration and immediately transform it into a visual representation of a product before ultimately producing it on the spot. This level of customization is presently unheard of. As the experiments continue, more silhouettes will be tested, and even the potential to use this proprietary process on clothing. Childhood drawings, the patterning within a marble countertop, reflections in a pond—these can all become prints.

Also in the WaffleWorks studio, there’s a printing center—where 3D renderings get turned into products through one of three printers. There’s the option for starch items, resin models or plastic from a Markerbot. Each has its own value. With such consumer input available, one would wonder about the continued role of designers. They’ll always be necessary, of course. According to Mark Haskins, VP of Global Design for Footwear and Equipment, “We do want to enable our consumers to collaborate with us. We are going well down that road, but we have always been influenced by our customers. We take inspiration from them—even the original checkerboard comes from kids drawing on their shoes.” Haskins (who presently wears the Ultra Range line) has been at the company now for 19 years, but actually has a background in automotive design. Diversity infuses their designs. It’s a necessity that allows the brand to go further.

One more necessity infuses the headquarters itself: sustainability. It manifests three-fold. First, it’s in the opertions of brands, with attempts to reduce energy use and waste in offices, stores and events. Second, product teams try to find and utilize better materials everywhere—down to recycled paper in packaging. Finally, the organization’s social responsibility frequently asks of its employees “How do we live our purpose through giving?” The building boasts 4000 solar panels, producing the vast majority of energy used on site. This also equates to removing 93 cars from the road. Speaking of automobiles, there are 34 EV charging stations at HQ, all available for free. The facility is 48% more efficient than California requires. It’s an inspiring place, built for the future—and for individuals who belief individual customer creativity and customization is the future.

Hero image and shoe in holster image courtesy of Vans, all other images by David Graver

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
• Click to copy this page URL URL copied to clipboard
• Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)

This placeholder is removed when the ad slot is configured.

More stories like this one.

Vault by Vans + Modernica’s Capsule Collection Represents SoCal Craftsmanship

Advisory Board Crystals and Vans Present: Miracle Conditions

Vans’ NASA-Inspired Space Voyager Collection

Explore the Latest

Keep exploring more content below.

Interview: vowels Founder and Creative Director, Yuki Yagi

Insight from the Japanese designer on his debut NYC store and its on-site research library

Performance Improvements Power the 2025 Ducati Panigale V4

Exploring the latest flagship superbike during World Ducati Week

The Enduring Allure Morgenthal Frederics Eyewear

Hand-carved buffalo horn frames distinguish this heritage brand

The Macallan Honors 200 Years with The TIME : SPACE Collection

With their new TIME : SPACE Mastery release, the prestigious single malt scotch brand continues a milestone celebration

Attending the 2024 FotoFocus Biennial: Backstories

For the duration of October, 107 photographic projects from 86 participating venues have opened across greater Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus, Ohio, as well as Northern Kentucky

Craft and Industrial Processes in Dialogue at EDIT Napoli 2024

Made by hand—or machine—these pure forms impresses us this year

Interview: Sabyasachi Opens in New York City

The acclaimed designer on how he continues to share Indian culture and couture through his own lens

Alaska Thunderfuck 5000 on Bringing “Drag: The Musical” to NYC

The drag superstar tells us about balancing the glossy, messy, realistic and heartfelt sides of the art form

Favorites from the 2024 Pebble Beach Concours d’Élegance

Celebrating the old and the new during one of the most important automotive events of the year

The Return of The Dalmore’s Cask Curation Series

Limited to 150 sets, The Port Edition is a stunning trio featuring The 27 Year Old, The 30 Year Old and The 43 Year Old